A feature film adaptation of the Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko graphic novel Torso might actually be coming to fruition after all.  The comic tells the true story of Eliot Ness’ time in Cleveland after bringing down Al Capone, where he got involved in a hunt for a serial killer who was leaving behind torsos and taunting letters to the police.  The pic has been in development for quite some time, with a number of filmmakers taking a stab at the material over the years like David Fincher and Todd McFarlane.  Fincher’s version came the closest to reality, and he had Matt Damon attached to star but Paramount balked at the last minute due budget concerns and Fincher’s decision to do the film in black and white.

With the rights to Torso now firmly in Bendis and Andreyko’s hands, the duo has tapped filmmaker David Lowery to direct an indie version of the serial killer story.  Hit the jump for more.

Check out the latest major casting news below:

• Robert Redford (The Natural) will star in The Old Man and the Gun for writer/director David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints).
• Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption) has joined the cast of Wally Pfister’s directorial debut, Transcendence, which also stars Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall and Kate Mara.  The film is due out April 25, 2014.

Hit the jump for more on both pictures.

Fresh off the successful Sundance debut of his heady, introspective drama Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, filmmaker David Lowery is taking a rather unexpected gig for his next project.  Deadline reports that Lowery has been tapped to write the script for Disney’s new iteration of Pete’s Dragon alongside his writing partner Toby Halbrooks.  The scribe will be reinventing the core story of Disney’s 1977 live-action/animated musical film that centered on a young orphan named Pete who moves into a small fishing community with his sometimes-invisible dragon.  At this time, it appears that Lowery will only be writing the film and won’t be directing.

This new version of Pete’s Dragon will not be a musical and, if Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is any indication, could be quite dramatic.  Lowery previously worked as an editor before recently making the jump to director, and I’m interested to see what his take on Pete’s Dragon looks like.  This is only the latest in a number of “reimaginings” that Disney is currently developing, including a new iteration of Cinderella, the villain pic Maleficent, and the recently announced live-action Beauty and the Beast. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for Disney’s original Pete’s Dragon movie. 

David Lowery‘s confident feature Ain’t Them Bodies Saints lives between old life and a new beginning; between past crimes and future punishment; between the intimate and the distant.  But for me, the emotions fall through the beautiful cinematography, lyrical music, and excellent performances.  This is the X-factor of any viewer: an emotional connection we struggle to explain.  Lowery has made a strong movie, and one that will put him on the radar of everyone who sees Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.  But for reasons I have difficulty articulating, I couldn’t feel anything from his gorgeous film.

The Sundance Film Festival recently announced the promising lineups for a few of the festival’s categories, and we’ve now got the first images from some films that will be playing in competition as part of the U.S. Dramatic category.  Briefly:

• Afternoon Delight – Written and directed by Jill Soloway, starring Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, and Jane Lynch.
• Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – Written and directed by David Lowery, starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, and Keith Carradine.
• C.O.G. – Written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, starring Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, and Troian Bellisario.
• Concussion – Written and directed by Stacie Passon, starring Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Jonathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, and Laila Robins.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

If you’re looking for Rooney Mara in the next 12-16 months, odds are she’ll be on a movie set.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actress is currently filming Steven Soderbergh’s Bitter Pill, and earlier this week she replaced Carey Mulligan in director Spike Jonze’s next project and signed on to star in the 1950s period piece Brooklyn.  She’s also set to film an untitled Terrence Malick project (formerly Lawless) this summer with Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling, and now she’s added yet another pic to her docket.  Deadline reports that Mara, Ben Foster, and Casey Affleck are attached to star in the drama Ain’t Them Bodies.

David Lowery is set to write and direct the film, which is described as a contemporary story in the vein of Bonnie and Clyde.  No other plot details are known at this moment, but you can’t really go wrong with a strong line-up like Mara, Foster, and Affleck.